Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes- 4/27/08
Published on April 27, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (9-13) @ KINSTON INDIANS (6-13)
APRIL 27th, 2008 -- 2:00 PM
@ Grainger Stadium
RHP Michael Crotta (2-2, 4.64) vs. RHP Steven Wright (0-1, 2.81)
LAST GAME: The Hillcats let a late lead slip away last night in a 6-5 loss to the K-Tribe...Lynchburg scored three runs in the seventh inning to take a 5-4 lead, but Kinston scored two runs in the eighth to earn the come from behind win...The Cats still hold a 2-1 series advantage in this four-game series...The Hillcats dropped to 5-5 on their current 11-game road trip with the defeat...Today Lynchburg looks to win just their second series of the season...
VS. KINSTON: Last season the Indians won the season series against the Hillcats 12-8...The Cats hold the all-time edge 132-127...But in Kinston the K-Tribe has a 74-59 advantage...
COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH: 1B Kent Sakamoto is tied for first in the league with 15 RBI and 3B Jim Negrych is just one off the pace tied for fourth with 14...Sakamoto is batting .387 with men in scoring position and Negrych is batting an even .500 in that same spot...
A NIGHT OF F IRSTS: On Friday night LHP Tony Watson earned his first victory of the year, RHP Adam Simon picked-up his first save as a Hillcat (making his Advanced-A debut), 1B Kent Sakamoto hit his first home run of the season (snapping an 0-16 skid) and the Hillcats recorded their first shutout victory of the season...
WELL TIMED BOMBS: Four of the eight home runs the Hillcats have hit this year have given them the lead (including Saturday night's homer) and another one tied up the game...The Cats are 5-1 in games they have homered in this year...
KEEPS ON ROLLING: Third baseman Jim Negrych continued his assault on the Carolina League last night with his twelth multi-hit game this season in just 21 games played...He entered the day first in the league in hits (31), batting average (.392) and on-base percentage (.461), tied for second in runs scored (15) and tied for fourth in RBI (14)...The former sixth round pick from 2006 has reached safely in 20 of the 21 games he has played in this season, including his first 15 games played...
PEOPLE CAN CHANGE: INF and sometimes OF Eddie Prasch had played 336 games in four years as a professional entering this season and had never played any position other than third base before playing right field for five of the last six games the Cats have played...The Hillcats also have three other players (Jim Negrych, Angel Gonzalez and Jared Keel) who are playing a different position than they primarily played in 2007...Two of which (Negrych and Gonzalez) that had never professionally played the position they are this season...
CHANGING THINGS UP: Baseball America said LHP Tony Watson has the "Best Changeup" in the Pirates minor league system...The ninth round selection in the 2007 struckout 58 batters in 67.2 ip and walked just eight...
KNOWN FOR HIS "D": INF Brian Friday was named the "Best Defensive Infielder" in the Pirates minor league organization by Baseball America prior to the start of the 2008 season...Friday was a third round pick of the Pirates in last year's draft out of Rice University...He was a member of their World Series teams in 2006 and 2007, which finished third in the country...
TOP PROSPECTS: Three of the Pirates' top 30 prospects from Baseball America are beginning the year with the Hillcats...LHP Daniel Moskos (#5) posted a combined ERA of 3.45 in 13 appearances with no decisions and one save with the GCL Pirates and the State College Spikes...LHP Tony Watson (#11) went 6-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 10 starts in State College prior to a late season call-up to Hickory...Watson was named to the New York-Penn League mid-season All-Star team...INF Brian Friday (#12) batted .295 with two home runs and 13 RBI for State College in 40 games...
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Carolina League Stories from April 27, 2008
- Warthogs Swept by Wilmington - Winston-Salem Dash
- Paul Lo Duca headed to Potomac - Potomac Nationals
- Frederick frustrates Potomac in series finale - Potomac Nationals
- Blue Rocks Sweep Away Winston-Salem With 6-3 Triumph - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Keys Win Rubber Game - Frederick Keys
- K-Tribe Comeback Comes Up Short - Kinston Indians
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes- 4/27/08 - Hill City Howlers
- Potomac Nationals Game Notes 4-27-08 - Potomac Nationals
- Potomac Nationals Game Notes 4-27-08 - Potomac Nationals
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